Cigarette smoke causes genetic damage within minutes -- not years -- after inhalation into the lungs, U.S. researchers say.
Stephen S. Hecht of the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota and colleagues say evidence indicates harmful substances in tobacco smoke -- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- play a role in causing lung cancer but the study is the first to detail how PAHs in cigarette smoke cause DNA damage.
The scientists added a labeled PAH -- phenanthrene -- to cigarettes and tracked it in 12 volunteers who smoked the cigarettes. They found phenanthrene quickly forms a toxic substance in the blood known to trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer.
The study, published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, found human smokers developed maximum levels of the substance in a time frame that surprised researchers -- 15-30 minutes after volunteers smoked.
Hecht and colleagues say the effect occurs so quickly it is equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream.
"This study is unique. It is the first to investigate human metabolism of a PAH specifically delivered by inhalation in cigarette smoke, without interference by other sources of exposure such as air pollution or the diet," Hecht says in a statement."The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes."
вторник, 18 января 2011 г.
Cigarette thief caught on tape
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dayton police were looking for a burglar with a taste for cigarettes.
Police said that this was not the first time they had caught this suspect in the act.
The same man had been been spotted in several other burglary surveillance videos.
The time stamp on the surveillance video at Smoke Savers on S. Smithville Road was 5:39 AM on the morning of January 14th, when the suspect smashed through the glass doors and broke into the business, carrying a large trash can.
It took him about 40 seconds to load 40 cartons of cigarettes into his trash can.
"The stores are losing quite a bit of money and forty counts of cigarettes are worth quite a bit of money. They're about $50 a piece," said Dayton Police Detective Rick Oakley.
Police said that this was not the first time they had caught this suspect in the act.
The same man had been been spotted in several other burglary surveillance videos.
The time stamp on the surveillance video at Smoke Savers on S. Smithville Road was 5:39 AM on the morning of January 14th, when the suspect smashed through the glass doors and broke into the business, carrying a large trash can.
It took him about 40 seconds to load 40 cartons of cigarettes into his trash can.
"The stores are losing quite a bit of money and forty counts of cigarettes are worth quite a bit of money. They're about $50 a piece," said Dayton Police Detective Rick Oakley.
Welcome to Tobacco E-News
NATO and CSP have entered into an exclusive partnership to launch Tobacco E-News™ powered by NATO and CSP Information Group. Tobacco E-News will be the most comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter for tobacco retailers and tobacco category decision-makers across North America.
According to CSP Information Group President and CEO Paul Reuter, "Tobacco E-News combines the superior legislative and lobbying efforts of NATO with CSP's award-winning editorial reporting. The tobacco industry continues to undergo major transitions and, with the impact of FDA's oversight now being felt, there is no better time for tobacco outlets and convenience store retailers to have a dedicated resource helping them grow their tobacco business."
NATO has earned a reputation within the tobacco industry as being a premier national retail trade association that assists members to participate in the legislative process on tobacco issues. In fact, NATO is the only national organization that focuses exclusively on local, state and federal tobacco legislation and tobacco regulations.
Tobacco E-News will contain tobacco legislative and regulatory articles written by NATO's Executive Director Thomas Briant, as well as timely tobacco news stories written by CSP's editorial staff, including senior editor Linda Zid. The combination of articles from NATO and CSP will make Tobacco E-News the leading source of information for the tobacco industry.
According to CSP Information Group President and CEO Paul Reuter, "Tobacco E-News combines the superior legislative and lobbying efforts of NATO with CSP's award-winning editorial reporting. The tobacco industry continues to undergo major transitions and, with the impact of FDA's oversight now being felt, there is no better time for tobacco outlets and convenience store retailers to have a dedicated resource helping them grow their tobacco business."
NATO has earned a reputation within the tobacco industry as being a premier national retail trade association that assists members to participate in the legislative process on tobacco issues. In fact, NATO is the only national organization that focuses exclusively on local, state and federal tobacco legislation and tobacco regulations.
Tobacco E-News will contain tobacco legislative and regulatory articles written by NATO's Executive Director Thomas Briant, as well as timely tobacco news stories written by CSP's editorial staff, including senior editor Linda Zid. The combination of articles from NATO and CSP will make Tobacco E-News the leading source of information for the tobacco industry.
Legislative cuts could trim back tobacco cessation efforts
Legislators may decide as soon as Wednesday whether to cut several million dollars from programs that help people quit using tobacco.
Programs including Quitline Iowa and JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) could see a total of $2.4 million cut from their budgets this fiscal year and $6.7 million the next two years.
Both programs are under the umbrella of the state Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control, and the proposed cuts would be spread throughout its programs and total budget of about $7 million, according to Garin Buttermore, JEL coordinator.
The proposed cuts are part of about $500 million suggested to be eliminated from the state budget in a bill put together by the Iowa House of Representatives Republicans.
Buttermore pointed out since the start of JEL in 2000, youth tobacco use has dropped from 34 percent to 20 percent as of 2008.
JEL's work includes a public ad campaign, youth peer-to-peer education and anti-tobacco use events and activities for youth across Iowa.
Quitline Iowa started offering services in 2001, according to Aaron Swanson, executive officer with the Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control.
Quitline Iowa offers ongoing telephone counseling, information via the mail, online resources at www.quitlineiowa.org and email access to counselors to ask questions about quitting.
In the last three years it has provided services to almost 65,000 Iowans, he said.
An evaluation completed by the University of Northern Iowa found that from January 2008 to June 2010, about 20 percent of people who called Quitline Iowa quit using tobacco that year.
"That's a very good success rate," Swanson said. "Among people who don't use any type of service to get help to quit using tobacco, research shows that only 3-5 percent of people who quit on their own, cold turkey, are successful."
From 2002 to 2008, adult tobacco use has dropped from 23.4 percent to 14.3 percent -- 208,000 fewer current adult smokers, he added.
The Quitline Iowa budget this fiscal year was $980,233, with nearly $900,000 coming from the state and the remaining portion from federal dollars.
JEL is fully paid for by state dollars with a budget of $1.7 million.
State Rep. Chuck Soderberg, of Le Mars, is one of the Republicans backing the bill that proposes the $500 million in cuts.
He said he has heard arguments in favor of tobacco cessation programs, including that they help cut back on state Medicare expenses.
"It's not that it's a bad program, but right now we just have to focus on reducing the total budget," Soderberg said. "The bottom line is we're $700 million short of fully funding all the programs."
He also said he felt the $100,000 price tag for a two-day JEL conference was "probably not a wise use of taxpayer money."
House Republicans are evaluating all state programs across the board, Soderberg said.
"We knew coming into this session that some difficult choices had to be made to bring the budget back in line with the revenues we have to work with," he said. "This is one of the programs we thought there might be a savings from state taxpayer money and maybe the private sector could pick up some of those programs."
He admitted there is no guarantee that would happen.
"Maybe at this point next year we can reinstitute some of the programs that we have to cut, but right now we are just looking at ways to reduce expenditures so we can live within our means," he said.
The impact of the proposed cut is unknown at this time, Swanson said.
"It's a bit early to say," he said. "Certainly, with the amount of the cut that's being proposed, even yet this fiscal year with six months to go, I can say that every program we provide funding to in the Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control would be impacted in one way or another."
While the discussion of cuts is on the table, both Quitline Iowa and JEL continue to operate, Swanson pointed out.
"Quitline is here. It's a free service available to help people with their tobacco use, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, it's just a phone call away," he said.
A public hearing about the proposed cuts in the House bill, including those for state smoking cessation efforts, will be held at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) at the House chambers.
"It will be probably an hour long and everybody will have 3 minutes to present their information," Soderberg said, adding that time slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"We'll have time to hear a number of concerns, either supporting or opposing the cuts," he said. "We always have the ability to amend the bill through the debate process. If we see that there are some changes that need to be made, most definitely we will make those changes."
Programs including Quitline Iowa and JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) could see a total of $2.4 million cut from their budgets this fiscal year and $6.7 million the next two years.
Both programs are under the umbrella of the state Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control, and the proposed cuts would be spread throughout its programs and total budget of about $7 million, according to Garin Buttermore, JEL coordinator.
The proposed cuts are part of about $500 million suggested to be eliminated from the state budget in a bill put together by the Iowa House of Representatives Republicans.
Buttermore pointed out since the start of JEL in 2000, youth tobacco use has dropped from 34 percent to 20 percent as of 2008.
JEL's work includes a public ad campaign, youth peer-to-peer education and anti-tobacco use events and activities for youth across Iowa.
Quitline Iowa started offering services in 2001, according to Aaron Swanson, executive officer with the Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control.
Quitline Iowa offers ongoing telephone counseling, information via the mail, online resources at www.quitlineiowa.org and email access to counselors to ask questions about quitting.
In the last three years it has provided services to almost 65,000 Iowans, he said.
An evaluation completed by the University of Northern Iowa found that from January 2008 to June 2010, about 20 percent of people who called Quitline Iowa quit using tobacco that year.
"That's a very good success rate," Swanson said. "Among people who don't use any type of service to get help to quit using tobacco, research shows that only 3-5 percent of people who quit on their own, cold turkey, are successful."
From 2002 to 2008, adult tobacco use has dropped from 23.4 percent to 14.3 percent -- 208,000 fewer current adult smokers, he added.
The Quitline Iowa budget this fiscal year was $980,233, with nearly $900,000 coming from the state and the remaining portion from federal dollars.
JEL is fully paid for by state dollars with a budget of $1.7 million.
State Rep. Chuck Soderberg, of Le Mars, is one of the Republicans backing the bill that proposes the $500 million in cuts.
He said he has heard arguments in favor of tobacco cessation programs, including that they help cut back on state Medicare expenses.
"It's not that it's a bad program, but right now we just have to focus on reducing the total budget," Soderberg said. "The bottom line is we're $700 million short of fully funding all the programs."
He also said he felt the $100,000 price tag for a two-day JEL conference was "probably not a wise use of taxpayer money."
House Republicans are evaluating all state programs across the board, Soderberg said.
"We knew coming into this session that some difficult choices had to be made to bring the budget back in line with the revenues we have to work with," he said. "This is one of the programs we thought there might be a savings from state taxpayer money and maybe the private sector could pick up some of those programs."
He admitted there is no guarantee that would happen.
"Maybe at this point next year we can reinstitute some of the programs that we have to cut, but right now we are just looking at ways to reduce expenditures so we can live within our means," he said.
The impact of the proposed cut is unknown at this time, Swanson said.
"It's a bit early to say," he said. "Certainly, with the amount of the cut that's being proposed, even yet this fiscal year with six months to go, I can say that every program we provide funding to in the Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control would be impacted in one way or another."
While the discussion of cuts is on the table, both Quitline Iowa and JEL continue to operate, Swanson pointed out.
"Quitline is here. It's a free service available to help people with their tobacco use, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, it's just a phone call away," he said.
A public hearing about the proposed cuts in the House bill, including those for state smoking cessation efforts, will be held at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) at the House chambers.
"It will be probably an hour long and everybody will have 3 minutes to present their information," Soderberg said, adding that time slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"We'll have time to hear a number of concerns, either supporting or opposing the cuts," he said. "We always have the ability to amend the bill through the debate process. If we see that there are some changes that need to be made, most definitely we will make those changes."
New Evidence Why RA Patients Should Quit Smoking
Smoking is a known risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, and research has shown smoking can reduce the efficacy of treatments. Now, new research adds more weight to the advice that RA patients shouldn’t light up: Smokers are 50 percent less likely to respond well to treatments in early RA than non-smokers, according to a study published in the January 2011 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
“Smoking is a lifestyle habit that is modifiable, and the findings … give strong argument to include measures against smoking as part of RA care,” explains lead author Saedis Saevarsdottir, MD, PhD, a rheumatology fellow at the Karolinska University Hospital and postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
To learn how cigarette smoking affected response to the most commonly used first- and second-line RA drugs – methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors – Swedish researchers analyzed data on more than 1,430 patients between 1996 and 2006. Of this group, 873 were taking methotrexate and 535 were taking anti-TNFs.
Three months after starting methotrexate, 27 percent of smokers responded well, compared with 36 percent of non-smokers. Of those on TNF inhibitors, such as infliximab, or Remicade, and etanercept, or Enbrel, 29 percent of smokers responded well after three months, compared with 43 percent of non-smokers.
“We also evaluated whether the accumulated dose of cigarettes smoked, measured by pack-years (1 pack-year equals 20 cigarettes a day for 1 year) influenced the response in the smokers, which was not the case,” Dr. Saevarsdottir says.
Another reason to kick the habit: Former smokers responded just as well to RA treatments as those who never smoked.
Dr. Saevarsdottir says researchers hope this new information is detailed enough to encourage RA patients who are still smoking to stop.
“Possibly, the patients are more motivated to stop when the information is specific for their actual situation than when it is a general recommendation to the public as a whole,” Dr. Saevarsdottir says.
James O’Dell, MD, a professor of internal medicine and chief of the rheumatology division at the University of Nebraska Medical System in Omaha, says that while previous studies have linked smoking to not responding well to methotrexate, the information in this study about anti-TNFs is a newer observation.
“The most powerful message I want to get to anyone with RA is we’ve had many reasons for many years why smoking is uniquely bad for people with RA, and this is more evidence in that direction,” Dr. O’Dell says. “If I can tell people when they start their methotrexate that I have data they will have better chance to respond if they stop smoking – and if I can tell them the same thing when I start them on TNF inhibitors – that may give them another impetus to stop smoking.”
Dr. O’Dell says it is important to point out that patients in Sweden may be different from U.S. patients, and that observational studies, such as this one, aren’t definitive.
“There are lots of unseen things in observational studies we can’t correct for,” Dr. O’Dell says. “In general I think this is well done, but it’s not rock solid because there are always confounding variables when we are looking at observational data.”
“Smoking is a lifestyle habit that is modifiable, and the findings … give strong argument to include measures against smoking as part of RA care,” explains lead author Saedis Saevarsdottir, MD, PhD, a rheumatology fellow at the Karolinska University Hospital and postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
To learn how cigarette smoking affected response to the most commonly used first- and second-line RA drugs – methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors – Swedish researchers analyzed data on more than 1,430 patients between 1996 and 2006. Of this group, 873 were taking methotrexate and 535 were taking anti-TNFs.
Three months after starting methotrexate, 27 percent of smokers responded well, compared with 36 percent of non-smokers. Of those on TNF inhibitors, such as infliximab, or Remicade, and etanercept, or Enbrel, 29 percent of smokers responded well after three months, compared with 43 percent of non-smokers.
“We also evaluated whether the accumulated dose of cigarettes smoked, measured by pack-years (1 pack-year equals 20 cigarettes a day for 1 year) influenced the response in the smokers, which was not the case,” Dr. Saevarsdottir says.
Another reason to kick the habit: Former smokers responded just as well to RA treatments as those who never smoked.
Dr. Saevarsdottir says researchers hope this new information is detailed enough to encourage RA patients who are still smoking to stop.
“Possibly, the patients are more motivated to stop when the information is specific for their actual situation than when it is a general recommendation to the public as a whole,” Dr. Saevarsdottir says.
James O’Dell, MD, a professor of internal medicine and chief of the rheumatology division at the University of Nebraska Medical System in Omaha, says that while previous studies have linked smoking to not responding well to methotrexate, the information in this study about anti-TNFs is a newer observation.
“The most powerful message I want to get to anyone with RA is we’ve had many reasons for many years why smoking is uniquely bad for people with RA, and this is more evidence in that direction,” Dr. O’Dell says. “If I can tell people when they start their methotrexate that I have data they will have better chance to respond if they stop smoking – and if I can tell them the same thing when I start them on TNF inhibitors – that may give them another impetus to stop smoking.”
Dr. O’Dell says it is important to point out that patients in Sweden may be different from U.S. patients, and that observational studies, such as this one, aren’t definitive.
“There are lots of unseen things in observational studies we can’t correct for,” Dr. O’Dell says. “In general I think this is well done, but it’s not rock solid because there are always confounding variables when we are looking at observational data.”
Great prizes offered to quit smoking
As if better health wasn't motivation enough to quit smoking, more than 145 people in Northwestern Ontario have already committed to throwing their cigarettes into the fire by March 1 for a chance to win fabulous prizes.
The Driven To Quit Challenge has a choice of a Honda hybrid car as its top prize, one of two $5,000 CAA vacation getaways or one of seven $2,000 MasterCard gift cards. It also promises an early bird prize of $1,000 credit at MasterCard.
In its sixth year, the challenge is a spring cleaning incentive for smokers to quit for the entire month of March with the help of a "buddy," who is eligible to win a $200 MasterCard gift card just for being a rock to a friend in the tough moments.
Since 2006, more than 130,000 Ontarians have registered with the government using prizes as incentives to kick the habit. Last year's winner of the $2,000 credit card gift was Alana Stones from Thunder Bay. Her advice to smokers trying to butt out: "Think the worst. My grandmother and cousin died of lung cancer and another friend who died of cancer was a smoker."
The Driven To Quit Challenge has a choice of a Honda hybrid car as its top prize, one of two $5,000 CAA vacation getaways or one of seven $2,000 MasterCard gift cards. It also promises an early bird prize of $1,000 credit at MasterCard.
In its sixth year, the challenge is a spring cleaning incentive for smokers to quit for the entire month of March with the help of a "buddy," who is eligible to win a $200 MasterCard gift card just for being a rock to a friend in the tough moments.
Since 2006, more than 130,000 Ontarians have registered with the government using prizes as incentives to kick the habit. Last year's winner of the $2,000 credit card gift was Alana Stones from Thunder Bay. Her advice to smokers trying to butt out: "Think the worst. My grandmother and cousin died of lung cancer and another friend who died of cancer was a smoker."
понедельник, 3 января 2011 г.
Smoke shops go exotic as cigarette sales wane
Like smoke wafting into your personal space, they cannot be ignored: advertisements on Rochester-area television about smoking products and exotic, controversial herbal incense with names such as K2.
New smoke shops are opening in the area, selling tobacco and a variety of alternatives to cigarettes, including cigars, loose tobacco and pipe tobacco made in Jordan. The shops, both the new and older ones, are advertising aggressively, helping owners make up for revenue they are losing to declining flavoring cigarette sales.
Earlier this year, the state Legislature increased the tax on a pack of cigarettes from $2.75 to $4.35. Shop owners blame the higher tax for their growing reliance on other products such as rolling papers, incense and hookahs — Indian and Middle Eastern-style pipes with elongated stems used for smoking. Some smoke shops even sell shirts, lottery tickets, knives and novelty items.
"We don't sell the amount of tobacco we used to. I lost 50 percent of my normal business," said John Kelly, 39, owner of Westside Smokeshop on Lyell Avenue, which opened in 2004. "The government is just out of control."
But New York doesn't tax loose tobacco as heavily as brand-name cigarettes. Also lightly regulated are tobacco-smoking accessories such as water pipes. But please don't call them bongs.
"No bongs. Water pipes," said Rachel Baxter, 24, general manager of Smoker's Choice at 2851 West Henrietta Road in Henrietta, which opened in September. "Bong ... is a negative referral."
Some smoke shop owners will ask customers to leave if they use code words or even mention the word "marijuana." Baxter said she doesn't tolerate people who seek out marijuana aids. It is hardly a secret that hookahs and water pipes can be used with marijuana.
People interested in saving money on tobacco can save "tons" by rolling their own cigarettes or smoking hookah or water-pipe tobacco, said Baxter.
She said the Henrietta store is the largest in the 40-store, two-state Smoker's Choice chain. It showcases a $4,200 water pipe the owner bought in Las Vegas.
New smoke shops are opening in the area, selling tobacco and a variety of alternatives to cigarettes, including cigars, loose tobacco and pipe tobacco made in Jordan. The shops, both the new and older ones, are advertising aggressively, helping owners make up for revenue they are losing to declining flavoring cigarette sales.
Earlier this year, the state Legislature increased the tax on a pack of cigarettes from $2.75 to $4.35. Shop owners blame the higher tax for their growing reliance on other products such as rolling papers, incense and hookahs — Indian and Middle Eastern-style pipes with elongated stems used for smoking. Some smoke shops even sell shirts, lottery tickets, knives and novelty items.
"We don't sell the amount of tobacco we used to. I lost 50 percent of my normal business," said John Kelly, 39, owner of Westside Smokeshop on Lyell Avenue, which opened in 2004. "The government is just out of control."
But New York doesn't tax loose tobacco as heavily as brand-name cigarettes. Also lightly regulated are tobacco-smoking accessories such as water pipes. But please don't call them bongs.
"No bongs. Water pipes," said Rachel Baxter, 24, general manager of Smoker's Choice at 2851 West Henrietta Road in Henrietta, which opened in September. "Bong ... is a negative referral."
Some smoke shop owners will ask customers to leave if they use code words or even mention the word "marijuana." Baxter said she doesn't tolerate people who seek out marijuana aids. It is hardly a secret that hookahs and water pipes can be used with marijuana.
People interested in saving money on tobacco can save "tons" by rolling their own cigarettes or smoking hookah or water-pipe tobacco, said Baxter.
She said the Henrietta store is the largest in the 40-store, two-state Smoker's Choice chain. It showcases a $4,200 water pipe the owner bought in Las Vegas.
Three released after Dublin cigarette seizure
Three men have been released after being questioned by gardaí in Dublin following the seizure of 2m cigarettes with an estimated street value of €860,000.
Gardaí and customs officers made the seizure as the contraband cigarettes were being loaded onto a truck at Greenogue Business Park in Newcastle yesterday.
The cigarettes entered the country in a container at Dublin Port a number of days ago.
The men, two aged 44 and the other aged 38, were arrested at the scene.
Two trucks, a van and a car were also seized.
Gardaí and customs officers made the seizure as the contraband cigarettes were being loaded onto a truck at Greenogue Business Park in Newcastle yesterday.
The cigarettes entered the country in a container at Dublin Port a number of days ago.
The men, two aged 44 and the other aged 38, were arrested at the scene.
Two trucks, a van and a car were also seized.
The final cigarette
NEW YEAR'SDAY was five months ago. The date was July 25. On that cold, windy Sunday in winter, I made a New Year's resolution to stop smoking. I stopped smoking. Just like that, straight away, from 50 a day to none, no sweat, no worries, not a problem, apart from suffering the agonies of hell and wishing I was dead.
But I was used to feeling that way. I felt that way when I woke up on July 25. I had a hangover. The best way I knew to cure it was to smoke a lot of cigarettes. One of the great things about smoking is that it's a misery stronger than any other misery; its pain dulls all other pains. The hangover gave up its fight as smoking delivered unto me its sweet wispy sickness.
Cigarettes always made me feel lousy. I felt lousy 50 times a day. Credit where credit's due; cigarettes earned my respect for their potent brand of lousiness.
It was all very well to lounge about on the back porch that Sunday morning smoking and wishing I was dead, but I had an appointment. My fiancee had helped to set it up. She'd never seemed to mind my smoking all that much until we became parents, and now she worried that our daughter would lose her father.
The two of them had some sort of heart-to-heart about it at bedtime one night. I responded from the heart: "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get off my god-damned back," etc. Smokers loathe being lovingly encouraged to cut down or quit. When I finished raving, I was given an email address for a woman from stop-smoking programme Allen Carr's Easyway.
All smokers have heard of Easyway, and every other quack cure. I'd heard of it from smokers who talked about reading Allen Carr's book of instructions on how to stop smoking. A lot of them said it'd worked, but not for long. I'd also heard of the Easyway one-day seminar from a smoker who said it'd worked and continued to work.
I booked online. I had nothing to lose except the $495 cost of the seminar. But that was chickenfeed. My weekly smoking bill was about $210, or $10,000 a year. I routinely tortured myself with how much money I spent on cigarettes. It inspired more terror than any of the lame health warnings on packets of smokes, with their silly little pictures of lungs and gums gone bad.
But I was used to feeling that way. I felt that way when I woke up on July 25. I had a hangover. The best way I knew to cure it was to smoke a lot of cigarettes. One of the great things about smoking is that it's a misery stronger than any other misery; its pain dulls all other pains. The hangover gave up its fight as smoking delivered unto me its sweet wispy sickness.
Cigarettes always made me feel lousy. I felt lousy 50 times a day. Credit where credit's due; cigarettes earned my respect for their potent brand of lousiness.
It was all very well to lounge about on the back porch that Sunday morning smoking and wishing I was dead, but I had an appointment. My fiancee had helped to set it up. She'd never seemed to mind my smoking all that much until we became parents, and now she worried that our daughter would lose her father.
The two of them had some sort of heart-to-heart about it at bedtime one night. I responded from the heart: "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get off my god-damned back," etc. Smokers loathe being lovingly encouraged to cut down or quit. When I finished raving, I was given an email address for a woman from stop-smoking programme Allen Carr's Easyway.
All smokers have heard of Easyway, and every other quack cure. I'd heard of it from smokers who talked about reading Allen Carr's book of instructions on how to stop smoking. A lot of them said it'd worked, but not for long. I'd also heard of the Easyway one-day seminar from a smoker who said it'd worked and continued to work.
I booked online. I had nothing to lose except the $495 cost of the seminar. But that was chickenfeed. My weekly smoking bill was about $210, or $10,000 a year. I routinely tortured myself with how much money I spent on cigarettes. It inspired more terror than any of the lame health warnings on packets of smokes, with their silly little pictures of lungs and gums gone bad.
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